Carbonylation of chloroacetone to methyl acetoacetate

Methyl acetoacetate was prepared by the selective carbonylation of chloroacetone in the presence of a homogeneous palladium catalyst at 100 °C and under a CO pressure of 1.5 MPa.     

Mechanistic studies on the reaction between glutathionylcobalamin and selenocysteine

Abstract

The reaction between glutathionylcobalamin (GSCbl), a complex of Co(III)-cobalamin with glutathione, and selenocysteine (Sec) was investigated using ultraviolet-visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy. The interaction results in the formation of cob(II)alamin and proceeds via two pathways: (i) a rapid formation of complex between GSCbl and Sec followed by the rate-determining substitution of glutathionyl-ligand by Sec and rapid electron-transfer from Se-atom to Co(III)-ion and (ii) a nucleophilic attack of Co(III)-S bond by Sec.     

DFT investigation on the mechanism of the deacetylation reaction catalyzed by LpxC

LpxC is a key enzyme in the biochemical synthesis of Lipid A, an important outer cell-membrane component found in a number of pathogenic bacteria. Using DFT, we have investigated the binding of the substrate within its active site as well as the deacetylation mechanism it catalyzes. The substrate is found to preferentially coordinate to the active site Zn2+ via its carbonyl oxygen between a Zn2+-bound H2O and an adjacent threonine (Thr191). Furthermore, upon substrate binding a nearby Glu78 residue is found to readily deprotonate the remaining Zn2+-bound H2O. Unlike several related metallopeptidases, the mechanism of LpxC is found to proceed via four steps; (i) initial hydroxylation of the substrates' carbonyl carbon to give a gem-diolate intermediate, (ii) protonation of the amide nitrogen by the histidine His265-H+, (iii) a barrier-less change in the active site-intermediate hydrogen-bond network and finally, (iv) C-N bond cleavage. Notably, the rate-determining step of the mechanism of LpxC is found to be the initial hydroxylation while the final C-N bond cleavage occurs with an overall barrier of 23.6 kJ mol-1. Furthermore, LpxC uses a general acid/base pair mechanism as indicated by the fact that both His265-H+ and Glu78 are accordingly involved.     

Mechanistic aspects of acetone addition to metalloaromatic complexes of iridium: a DFT investigation

DFT calculations were used to reveal the unexpected reactivity and mechanism of the addition of acetone to metallabenzene, metallapyrylium and metallathiabenzene complexes of iridium.     

Mechanistic study on the reaction of pinB-BMes2 with alkynes based on experimental investigation and DFT calculations: gradual change of mechanism depending on the substituent

Transition metal-free direct and base-catalyzed 1,2-diborations of arylacetylenes using pinB-BMes₂ provided a syn/anti-isomeric mixture of diborylalkenes. The kinetic analysis showed that the reaction rate and isomer ratio were affected by reaction conditions and substituents on the aryl ring. DFT calculations indicated that direct addition proceeded via the interaction of acetylene-π with the BMes₂ fragment. In contrast, for the base-catalyzed diboration, the previously isolated sp²–sp³ diborane and borataallene were confirmed as stable intermediates by calculations. The whole reaction pathways can be divided into the Bpin-migration and deprotonation steps, where the borataallene should be considered as a common intermediate. It should be noted that the deprotonation step is reversible and affords the kinetically less favoured isomer under the thermodynamic conditions. As a result, the composition of isomeric products, in the base-catalyzed diboration, is attributed to the small difference of activation barriers between direct and base-catalyzed systems.

Combination of kinetic and DFT studies revealed a subtle balance for substituent effect toward the regioselectivity of the product in metal-free and base-catalyzed diboration of arylacetylenes.     

DFT Studies on the addition reaction between germylene and furan

The mechanism of the addition reaction of germylene H₂Ge and furan has been investigated with B3LYP/6-311+G* method, including geometry optimization and vibrational analysis for the involved stationary points on the potential energy surface. From the surface energy profile, it can be predicted that there are four reactions (1)–(4). Reactions (1) and (2) are similar, which are reactions between H₂Ge and C=C of isolated furan. Furthermore, H₂Ge can react with oxygen atom of furan to form a stable complex H₂Ge-Furan. Reactions (3) and (4) are similar, which are reactions between H₂Ge and C=C of the complex H₂Ge-Furan. All the reactions consist of two steps: the two reactants first form an intermediate (INT) through a barrier-free exothermic reaction; this intermediate then isomerizes to a product (P) via a transition state (TS). The article is published in the original.     

环糊精与烷基钴配合物分子识别作用的DFT研究

用密度泛函理论(DFT)的B3LYP方法对Costa型烷基钴配合物[n-C6H13Co(C11H19N4O2)·H2O]+(A)和烷基钴肟配合物n-C6H13Co(C8H14N4O4)·H2O(B)进行计算研究,探讨了环糊精对它们的分子识别作用与其电荷分布之间的关系.结果表明,由于A和B的轴向烷基都是中性的,而且它们的烷基均插入环糊精腔内,而使A或B与环糊精形成包结物,因此,在环糊精边上修饰负离子不能加强其对+1价的Costa型配合物的识别作用,平面配体的类型及电荷对分子识别影响也不大.     

微波辐射下碘代芳烃与乙酰乙酸乙酯反应研究

2-芳基乙酸及乙酸酯具有显著的生物生理活性[1],是合成异黄酮[2]、异喹啉[3]衍生物的重要原料.苯乙腈水解法、苯乙酰胺水解法都曾用于芳基乙酸的合成[4].二羰基化合物的直接芳基化是合成该类化合物的最直接有效的方法.这些方法一般需要过渡金属催化剂的催化和配体的参与[5].     

Mechanistic insight into alkylation of the ethyl acetoacetate anion with different ethyl halides

The alkylation reactions of the ambident ethyl acetoacetate anion with C₂H₅X (X = F, Cl, Br, and I) in the O2, C3, and O4 positions of the anion were investigated at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) level of theory. It was found that the ethylation reaction does not occur in the position O4, as well as with ethyl fluoride in any position of the anion, due to very high activation energies and thermodynamic instability of the hypothetic products. The activation energies for the reactions in the position O2 are lower in comparison to the position C3, but the products of the reactions in the C3 position are more stable than those in the position O4, implying that the C/O products ratio is controlled by both thermodynamic and kinetic factors, leading to the O2-product with the chloride, and C3-product with the iodide as leaving group.     

Mechanistic investigation on the multi-channel reaction of Cl+CH2CO

All the geometries, vibrational frequencies and energies of different stationary points involved in the multi-channel reaction of the CH₂CO with Cl are calculated by B3LYP/6-311++G** and the results agree with the experimental values. The vibrational mode analysis is used to elucidate the relationships of the reactant, the transition states, intermediate and the products. Through the analysis, the major reaction channel and the minor reaction channel are confirmed. A new study method of analyzing reaction mechanism is presented.     

Synthesis and structure of the imine of methyl acetoacetate containing a triphenylphosphonium substituent

Conclusions Carbomethoxymethylenetriphenylphosphorane reacts with a nitrylium salt by nucleophilic addition to form the alkylimine of an -triphenylphosphine-substituted acetoacetate ester having conjugated enamine structure with intramolecular hydrogen bonding.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 5, pp. 1200–1202, May, 1985.     

Asymmetrically modified bimetallic catalyst for the enantio-differentiating hydrogenation of methyl acetoacetate

Summary The effects of addition of a second metal as promoter to (R,R)-tartaric acid-NaBr-modified Ni catalyst were investigated. The addition of Pd increased the enantioselectivity for the hydrogenation of methyl acetoacetate.     

A DFT investigation on interactions between lignin and ionic liquids

The interactions of the lignin model, the lignin oligomer with degree of polymerization n = 2, with 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ionic liquid were investigated through DFT calculations in detail. Computational results revealed that lignin dissolution in ionic liquids should be a result of the joint interactions of lignin with anion and cation of ionic liquid, and the formation of ion pair weakens the interactions between lignin and ionic liquid components. Unlike the dominant H-bonds within the lignin–anion interactions, the lignin–cation interactions involve a combination of hydrogen bond and π-stacking. These results would provide mechanistic insights and suggestions for lignocellulosic dissolution in ionic liquids.     

Diastereoselective synthesis of highly functionalized quinolizines via a pyridine-based three-component reaction and a DFT investigation on the reaction mechanism

Novel, one-pot, three-component reactions of the zwitterions generated in situ from pyridine and acetylenic esters with alkoxymethylenemalononitriles via 1,4-dipolar cycloadditions are described. The reactions afforded dialkyl 1,1-dicyano-2-alkoxy-1,9a-dihydro-2H-quinolizine-3,4-dicarboxylate derivatives in good to high yields without using any catalyst or activation. Structural, electronic, energetic, and mechanistic details of the reaction are also revealed by density functional theory (DFT) calculations, which strongly support the exclusive formation of the observed products.     

Mechanistic investigation of the staudinger ligation

The Staudinger ligation of azides and phosphines has found widespread use in the field of chemical biology, but the mechanism of the transformation has not been characterized in detail. In this work, we undertook a mechanistic study of the Staudinger ligation with a focus on factors that affect reaction kinetics and on the identification of intermediates. The Staudinger ligation with alkyl azides was second-order overall and proceeded more rapidly in polar, protic solvents. Hammett analyses demonstrated that electron-donating substituents on the phosphine accelerate the overall reaction. The electronic and steric properties of the ester had no significant impact on the overall rate but did affect product ratios. Finally, the structure of an intermediate that accumulates under anhydrous conditions was identified. These findings establish a platform for optimizing the Staudinger ligation for expanded use in biological applications.